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I’ve used the Filtrete unit for 2 years now and it works very well. It’s basically a rebranded Radiothermostat unit (CT30?). (And note that Radiothermostat appears to have been acquired by yet another company.)
This thermostat runs on batteries, but the WiFi portion runs on 24VAC from the furnace. The unit will continue to run its program if it loses the Internet connection. It can be set to around 36 degrees for the low point. I do set it quite low. It doesn’t affect the defrost cycle of the fridge since that is on a timer, but the refrigeration will be off most of the time which does indeed let the freezer warm above freezing. If you have things that must stay frozen (we don’t leave anything in the freezer), then you need to keep the cabin warmer than this.
The user interface on the thermostat is okay, not great, but it doesn’t matter much as we almost always use a phone app or the web interface. It’s basically a standard 7 day programmable thermostat with a WiFi addition. The way this unit works is by periodically (every few minutes) contacting the Radiothermostat servers for an update. The phone app or web interface connects to these servers remotely. Locally your phone app or PC can talk to it directly. It’s fantastic to warm up and monitor the temperature before you arrive.
And now for the more esoteric information: It is possible to get this unit to talk to a Vera (zwave) for home automation. And that means that you can program this unit more creatively. This thermostat has a numeric display that isn’t much used. With the Vera, I was able to reuse that field as the current temperature from another source. I use the weather station data from Bear Valley or Arnold so that I can see from the thermostat what is happening in one of those locations. The Vera is not for everyone as it is too complicated and finicky, but it does open up a whole new world. I use it to turn on lights before we arrive and to light up the deck where we have camera so I can see the weather at night if I want. Vera can also work with door locks.
We have an Ecobee. It’s been great. Min temp, though, is 45 f. I was originally unhappy that it didn’t go colder, but then I was told that forced air heaters (gas) don’t like to run very cold air for a long time. You should check your heater spec to see what the min temperature setting it can be continuously run at. Besides, running the house at 45 vs. 40 probably does not use much more gas.
Ours is hooked up to our internet WiFi. If the net goes down, it stays at the last programmed temp. If the power goes out, well…. you’re sort of out of luck since the heater isn’t going to run anyways.
I’m pretty sure the Ecobee is powered directly from the 5V source from the heater unit (i.e. wired).
That’s very true, it can mess up the fridge if set too low. We try to keep the fridge at ~38, and would like to set the house temp to 40.
I remember hearing something about the minimum temp in your cabin had to be at or slightly avove the refrigerator settings so that the defrosts cycles, etc would function properly.
Not sure hoe much there is to that view but perhaps others have more to add to that topic.
I got the battery answer from the online user manual. However, I didn’t find anything about minimum temp.
get an ecobee. i have one at our cabin and at our house in Sac. works excellent. no service/subscription fees, less “Apple” looking than a nest if you prefer something that looks and functions more like a conventional thermostat and you can operate it from a phone or computer. once of the best investments we’ve made. i put them both in myself.
i got the simple non-touchscreen version from amazon.
I have a couple questions about the RTH8580WF:
1. What is the minimum temp it will allow to be set for periods of absence?
2. Does it require batteries?
3. If it uses batteries, roughly how long do they last? (We sometimes go 3-4 months between cabin visits.)
The minimum temp we can set on our present thermostat is 45 degrees. I would like be able to set 40 degrees and hopefully save a little on propane. Also would like to be able to preheat the place.
I installed a Honeywell Wi-Fi 7-Day Programmable Touchscreen Thermostat – RTH8580WF as well. It works great! It was fairly easy to set up. I did have to contact their support line when I wanted to change my wi-fi router security code and the rep was very helpful. I have the iphone app so I can check and adjust the temp on the move or from my home computer…. I think Costco is selling these now for around $100….I highly recommend.
I have an extra Venstar thermostat with a dial-up connection. No problems with it, it has worked great for the last three years. The voice prompt will tell you the current temperature and allow you to remotely adjust the temp. Very easy to set-up. It works like a cordless phone: Plug the phone line into the transmitter and a small receiver into a connection port on the thermostat. The kit normally goes for over $200. Let me know if you are interested and I’m sure we can work something out.
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I will research them in the next day or so and will post any questions.
We just installed a Honeywell Wi-Fi 7-Day Programmable Touchscreen Thermostat – RTH8580WF. It works well. We also just installed a MERV16 filter to help clean the air in the house.
I installed an Aube thermostat controller a few years ago at our BTV home. Inexpensive, simple to install, and operates via telephone. I “call my furnace” before leaving home in Santa Cruz and the house is toasty when we arrive. I leave it in vacation mode @ 40 when not there and bump to comfort @ 70. We also updated our furnace 4 years ago with a high efficiency unit installed by EPG and now use less than 1/2 the propane annually.
We installed the 3M/Filtrete 3M-50 last year at the cabin and liked it enough to replace the flatlands house with the same model. It’s nice to adjust the temperature from the couch, or road.
I had Paul Bertini install a dial up thermostat 3 years ago . Works on the land line, not the internet. Very easy, reliable. Has never failed.
I have both Honeywell and Radiothermostat both work great. No real differences. Even when you lose the internet they still function and hold your last setting, no big deal. Before we leave the Bay Area for the cabin we set the desired temp and when we arrive it’s all heated in the winter or cooled in the summer. Easy setup, easier then cameras!
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